Karen Martin has been her bringing her unique perspective to designing, managing and improving operations for over 25 years. As Principal Consultant for Karen Martin & Associates, she's a recognized thought leader in applying Lean thinking and the psychology of change to non-manufacturing environments. Her diverse client list includes Fortune 100 and 500 companies as well as government agencies, nonprofits, and start‐ups. One of her clients won the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence. She’s the author of The Outstanding Organization (May 2012, McGraw-Hill) and co‐author of The Kaizen Event Planner: Achieving Rapid Improvement in Office, Service, and Technical Environments.

Eartha Jean Johnson is President and Chief Executive Officer of LegalWATCH, an international training and staffing company she formed in 1997 after practicing law for a Fortune 100 company, and working for the United States Department of Justice and an international law firm.  She uses the knowledge and expertise she acquired practicing law to help companies avoid mistakes that can often force them into settlements, regulatory compliance sanctions or litigation.  She has conducted numerous training courses, spearheaded governmental audits, designed compliance programs and negotiated settlements with third parties and governmental regulators across the United States.  In addition to her Juris Doctorate Degree, she holds a Masters Degree in Energy, Environmental and Natural Resource Law, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice.  Eartha is certified in Training and Development and is a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

Eartha serves on the Forum of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council and is a member of the Women Business Enterprise Alliance of Texas and Houston Minority Business Council.  Eartha is a Past President of the Houston Lawyers Association and Past Chair of the African American Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. Eartha also served on the boards of WIPP ("Women Impacting Public Policy") and NISH ("National Institute for the Severely Disabled") and completed an eight year term as Chair/Vice Chair of the Women's Lawyers Division of the National Bar Association.   She also served on the National Women's Business Council, a bi-partisan Federal government council that advises the President, Congress and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues important to women. 

John Vlastelica draws from  20 years of recruiting experience, including almost 10 years as a corporate recruiting leader and over 8 years as a recruitment management consultant and trainer. He was the Senior Director, Global Recruiting for Expedia, a Recruiting Director at Amazon.com, and the engineering recruiting leader for two start-up divisions of McCaw/AT&T Wireless. In 2002, he started Recruiting Toolbox to help other companies improve their in-house recruiting capabilities.

John has provided training and recruitment management consulting services to companies of all shapes and sizes, including leading organizations in high-tech, bio-tech, healthcare, financial services, and retail. John has shared his expertise with colleagues as an entertaining and credible repeat presenter at regional, national, and international recruiting conferences (including ERE Expo, SourceCon, RecruitingTrends, AIRS Symposiums, Talent42, SmartResourcing UK, Australalsian Talent Conference, iRecruit Europe, and SHRM’s national HR conferences), through online webinars, and as an instructor for various Sourcing and Recruiting Leadership workshops and academies.

Dr.  Di Ann Sanchez, Ph.D., SPHR, SHRM – SCP, is the Chief Exceptional Officer of DAS HR Consulting LLC and Sanchez & Associates, a WMBE/HUB-certified firm focused on creative and non-traditional Human Resources programs and Diversity. Dr. Sanchez has over 35 years of experience, is a certified Senior Human Resources Professional (SPHR & SHRM – SCP), and has held executive positions with both private and public companies, including: 
    Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
    United Natural Foods, Inc.
    Burlington Northern Santa Fe
    Boeing Commercial Airplane Group
    American Airlines 
    Delta Technology 

Dr. Sanchez received the 2018 Top Minority Business Leaders Award for Tarrant County. Hispanic Business magazine named her one of the “Top 50 Hispanic Women in Business,” one of the “Top 80 Elite Hispanic Women,” and one of the “Top 100 Latinas in America.” She is also a past SMU Latino Leadership Initiative Advisor. 

She was highlighted in the Hispanic Journal Magazine, recognizing her human resources and diversity accomplishments at American Airlines. She has also been featured in USA Today to improve the employment verification process and encourage comprehensive immigration reform.  

Dr. Sanchez has spoken at the SHRM National Conference, Talent Management, and National Diversity and Inclusion. She has also spoken at several SHRM and Business Chapters and has been featured in many publications as a national Human Resources and Diversity expert. She is also a SHRM National Speakers Bureau Member. Dr. Sanchez actively participates in the SHRM Voice of Work Research Panel. 

With more than 20 years of industrial engineering and plant management experience at European, Chinese and US-owned companies in a variety of industries, he’s seen just about everything the business world can throw at you. From frenetic growth and high volume, to cutting out fat, cutting into muscle and cutting your own throat.

Todd is a long-time lean operations practitioner and six sigma black belt. He’s started up a billion-dollar semiconductor fab, improved factory performance so it just hums along, integrated operations after mergers and acquisitions and outsourced production overseas laying off hundreds of employees and closing plants.

In 2000, Todd started the Maverick Institute to pioneer the application of lean production principles to training and development. Throughout his career, Todd’s seen that effective knowledge transfer and sharing of expertise are critical elements to success. Today, the blistering pace of change, the globalization of business and the explosion of learning technologies requires organizations adopt a new learning framework.

Shannon Seery Gude is a leading digital strategist that has developed and implemented talent acquisition strategies to communicate employer brands and engage talent for over 14 years. Shannon has developed digital and social recruiting initiatives for Fortune 500 clients such as Bank of America, FedEx, Florida Hospital, Limited Brands, UnitedHealth Group, and WellPoint. She is a frequent speaker and trainer on social recruiting strategies and online employer reputation management, and she has a degree in psychology from Colgate University.